Sunday, 12 September 2010

VIDEO AND REVIEW OF NEW LOWKEY TRACK - 'TERRORIST?'

Lowkey is on a serious roll at the moment – everything he is putting out is lyrically, musically and politically on point. The latest video from his forthcoming (and much-anticipated) album ‘Soundtrack to the Struggle’ is called ‘Terrorist?’, and it explores the true meanings of the concepts ‘terror’ and ‘terrorism’.

Lowkey starts off by quoting the dictionary definitions as follows:

Terrorist: the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coersion.

Terror: violent or destructive acts such as bombing, committed by groups in order to intimidate a population or government into granting their demands.

He proceeds to compare some of the people that are labeled in the media as ‘terrorists’ (ie. Iraqis and others using primitive explosives against colonial domination) with the powerful states and corporations that are terrorising millions on a daily basis.

What’s the bigger threat to human society,

BAE Systems or home-made IEDs?

Remote controlled drones killing off human lives

Or man with home-made bomb committing suicide?

Although the ‘terrorist’ label has primarily been used to describe Muslims, particularly since the twin towers attack, Lowkey points out that resistance to imperialism isn’t limited to any one religion or racial group, and that all oppressed people are united by their opposition to the empire.

This is very basic

One nation in the world has over a thousand military bases.

They say it’s religion, when clearly it isn’t

It’s not just Muslims that oppose your imperialism.

Is Hugo Chavez a Muslim? Nah, I didn’t think so.

Is Castro a Muslim? Nah, I didn’t think so.

He brilliantly exposes the hypocrisy of western colonisers describing anybody as terrorists:

Lumumbah was democracy

Mossadeq was democracy

Allende was democracy

Hypocrisy, it bothers me

Call you terrorist if you don’t wanna be a colony

Refuse to bow down to a policy of robbery

The song is summed up by its beautiful, haunting chorus:

They’re calling me a terrorist

Like they don’t know who the terror is

When they put it on me I tell them this

I’m all about peace and love.

They’re calling me a terrorist

Like they don’t know who the terror is

Insulting my intelligence

Oh how these people judge

All in all, another very powerful track from Lowkey, with excellent production by the ever-reliable Red Skull and a highly professional, innovative video by Global Faction. Please spread the word!